Happy Meals and Tattle Tales

As an 8 year old, it’s probably best not to go around swearing up a storm. As a pastor’s daughter, it’s most likely a bad idea to run around with a foul mouth. As an 8 year old pastor’s daughter in church on Sunday complaining about not getting a McDonald’s Happy Meal for lunch, it’s definitely not smart.

Oh but don’t worry internet. I DID.

The first time I ever swore was in church. And yes, it was over a Happy Meal. Not my proudest moment. To be honest, I don’t really think I knew I was swearing when it happened. I probably just heard it on TV. So when I asked my brother if delicious, golden chicken nuggets were in my future and the response was no, it seemed appropriate.

After it slipped out, time slowed down. Like in A Christmas Story, when Ralphie drops the lug nuts while helping his father change a flat tire, and simultaneously drops the f bomb… My brother’s eyes got really big. We blinked at each other for a couple seconds. Then he got a little holier-than-thou on me. Don’t ever say that again! Do you know what that word means? Carissa, we’re in church! Blah, blah, blah… etc. Needless to say, I was mortified. When he was done with his rant, I turned, tears streaming down my face, and ran to the bathroom. I’m not sure how long I stayed there. It felt like hours. Which means it was probably like 10 minutes. But I slowly emerged, terrified of what my parents would do.

They didn’t do anything. They didn’t even seem aware of what had just happened. As I looked around to find my brother, it became apparent that he hadn’t told them. I was shocked. I had thought that he would tattle on me without a doubt. Normally he would use any single thing he could find to get me in trouble. (Although I shouldn’t point fingers. I mean, I did the exact same thing. Sibling rivalry.) But this time he didn’t. I think he realized that my shame and embarrassment was enough punishment. And while I never got my hands on those crispy nuggets, I learned that day that my brother had my back. That was way better anyways.

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And yes, I realize that Mrs. Butterworth’s syrup has absolutely nothing to do with this post. But Jake made breakfast burritos this morning, and I just love syrup : )

Happy Weekend!

mom - April 9, 2011 - 9:17 pm

:)

Downtown Salt Lake City Anytime: Christine

Meet the beautiful Christine.

I had the pleasure of meeting her through a mutual friend this past New Year’s Eve, and we had a wonderful time ringing in the New Year together! Let me tell you, this girl is just as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside. For real. When we met I knew she needed to get in front of my camera. I even told her. Several times. Haha. And this weekend we made it happen.

After two days in the mid-fifties and beautiful sunshine, the day of the shoot it was thirty five degrees and snowing/raining. I woke up, looked out the window, and groaned. I figured we would have to reschedule, no doubt. But Christine had a great attitude, and we decided to go for it. I’m SO glad we did!! It was awful weather right up until we started shooting, literally. Then the snow started falling ever so softly and at the very end the sun even came out for bit, and it made my favorite kind of dreamy light… Oh yes. It was good. Notice the size of this post (it’s really long), that’s how good it was. But enough of me talking about it… Enjoy : )

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Notice how I kept quiet through all of that? That’s because I started going through, but then I realized I was saying something about every single picture. Seriously. So I figured I’d keep my mouth shut and let the pictures do the talking ; )

Christine, you are gorgeous beyond words. These pictures are proof. Thank you, thank you, thank you for being so sweet and giving up some of your Sunday to model for me! I hope your hands have warmed up : ) And I hope it was worth it! Thanks again, you were perfect.

The Thirty-Something Bride - April 4, 2011 - 10:50 am

It snowed just for you!

Christine - April 4, 2011 - 12:05 pm

My hands did eventually warm up! :) Thanks for the fun times Carissa, you’re an incredible photographer with a really good eye… and also great at charades ;)

Alicia - April 4, 2011 - 12:24 pm

Carissa – these pictures are absolutely stunning. I always love your work – so amazing!!

Chris Manning - April 4, 2011 - 2:31 pm

What a great urban shoot! You lucked out having wet cement. That’s a look that movies and commercial shoots pay big bucks for!

I really like your style, Carissa. I love the range of locations you shot her in.

Sara B - April 5, 2011 - 4:06 pm

Roomie! These look great! I really liked the ones where she is standing on the terra cotta colored sidewalk! Plus, it’s a wet sidewalk. Which, according to a certain professor of ours, is MAGICAL. :)

Amy - May 7, 2011 - 12:55 pm

Wow!! These are gorgeous!! You took Salt Lake City and turned it into New York City in these photos! Fabulous job!

My Best Prank was an Oreo

So it’s April 1st. April Fool’s Day! (Can you believe I actually remembered? Maybe I’ll be ok without an agenda after all…)  I think the best prank I ever played consisted of taking the filling out of an Oreo and replacing it with white toothpaste. I was pretty proud of my bright idea. Then again, no one I offered it to actually ever tried it. So I guess it wasn’t that brilliant.

Anyhow. I think everyone can agree, the funniest pranks to see are the ones where someone gets scared. I’m not talking a little pop around the corner and yell “Boo!” kind of scared, either. I’m talking terrified out of your mind to the point where instincts take over and you almost wet yourself. That kind of scared. Now don’t get me wrong. I think it’s terribly mean (hence why my best prank had to do with Oreos and not masks), and I would be really mad if someone scared me. Especially because I’m jumpier than the average person to begin with.

BUT… I’d be lying if I said I didn’t get a little enjoyment out of watching these poor people get scared out of their wits. So I thought maybe some of you would too : ) Just don’t get any bright ideas (Jake, Caleb, etc.)

Happy April’s Fools! Hope no one gets pranked too badly : )

New Running Shoes

At WPPI this year, Kevin Kubota said a lot of amazing things. Things that I have written down in my notes and that I’ve turned to quite a few times this last month. But there are two specific tips he gave that I haven’t been able to shake.

The first was this: Adrenaline triggers creativity, so if you’re in a creative rut, do something that scares you. Secondly, he went on to say that we all need accountability. And if we write a goal down and share it, it is much more likely to happen. I don’t necessarily think that I’m in a creative rut, per say. But I am always looking for ways to fuel inspiration, and maybe doing something I’m afraid of will help keep my tank full, for lack of a better analogy. And if I commit to doing it on my blog, well, it’s a lot more likely to happen.

So here I am, taking Kevin’s advice, about to expose one of my biggest goals, which also happens to be one of my biggest fears…

I want to run a marathon.

There it is. I’m scared out of my mind to do it. But I want to run a marathon. I want to cross the finish line at 26.2 miles. And I want to finish knowing I didn’t walk once. I’m not exactly sure where this desire came from. Maybe it’s because I know I’ll have to train and it will help keep me healthy. Maybe it’s because I’m ridiculously competitive and I want to beat my previous distance records. Maybe it’s for my brother Caleb, because he has always wanted to run one, but after injuring his knee playing basketball in high school, he can’t run a lot anymore. Maybe it’s just because I need to prove to myself that I can do it.

Whatever the reason, I want to do it. I’m going to do it. August 20th this year is the Park City Marathon, and I’ll be there. No turning back now. (Even though I slightly feel like peeing my pants in fear.) I mean, it’s on my BLOG. It’s basically in blood. Haha. And if that’s not reason enough for me, Jake bought me some sweet new running shoes for my birthday last month. I might as well use them!

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Here’s to doing something that scares you, and becoming a better person for it.

P.S. If anyone reading my blog has run a marathon, I’d really really appreciate any training tips! : )

Sarah - March 30, 2011 - 11:25 am

I have NOT run a marathon, and probably will never get to that point because I’m not a strong runner, but I have done the couch-to-5k program and loved it (in case you haven’t seen it: http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml).

I’m actually hoping to get back to at least walking if not mild running this summer.

Carissa - March 30, 2011 - 12:11 pm

Hey a 5k is still impressive! Not everyone has the motivation to get off the couch. And thanks for the link! I’d never heard of that and I’ll definitely check it out : )

Happy Birthday Kiva and Zuka!

Today my pups turn 1 year old! It’s kind of hard to believe, really. I feel like they’re growing up too fast (gosh, how much do I sound like a mom right now?! Maybe I should pinch their cheeks, too).

I remember the day they were born. Jake texted me. He would visit the litter once a week and send me pictures, because I was still in school. The day we finally picked them up and brought them home? THAT was a good day. They were such little things…

And I’m not being all mushy and lovey when I say that. Seriously, they were really small and now they are HUGE. See for yourself! Here is Zuka when he was 7 weeks old compared to now.

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And here is Kiva.

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Kind of insane. Kind of love it. (If you want to see more pictures of when they were 7 weeks, go here. And I’m going to pretend you’re all as obsessed with my dogs as I am, so you can see them growing up here, here, and here, too.) To celebrate this monumental occasion, I went out and bought a cake! Red Velvet, because it’s my their favorite. Although, they won’t be getting any. It’s bad for dogs. (Ok, maybe they’ll be getting a little bit. But don’t tell Jake.)

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I was also going to buy them birthday hats, but I hunted all over Park City and couldn’t find any. ANY. Not even at Super Walmart. I know right!? Ridiculous! Fortunately, my mom’s craft collection came to the rescue (thanks Mom!). Yes, we made some homemade hats. Ghetto fabulous, if you ask me.

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Unfortunately, they weren’t as thrilled about their birthday hats as I was.

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They had had enough after about 2 minutes. Haha. Ohhh what can you do. Happy 1st birthday to my babies!!

Janey - March 28, 2011 - 9:05 am

Hehe, cute! Happy Birthday pups!

Lauren - March 28, 2011 - 9:42 am

Ah-dorable. I love the pictures of them in the hats…it’s like they’re saying, “really, Mom?” Lol. Love it!

Alicia - March 28, 2011 - 10:12 am

Oh my goodness – cuteness overload! I need to make a birthday hat for my pup! He’s a silver sable german shepherd (german shepherd love).

amy - March 28, 2011 - 2:27 pm

Super cute, Ris! When Angie & I were younger we had a birthday party for Rosie. We invited friends over, played party games – the whole nine yards :) Loved it!

Carissa - March 29, 2011 - 8:05 am

@Janey Thanks! : )

@Lauren Haha I KNOW! They were so annoyed with me. And I kind of felt bad. But then I look at these hilarious pictures and it was all worth it : )

@Alicia German Shepherds ftw!! Lol you should totally make him a hat. Then send me a pic!

@Amy Remember the time you and Angie came out and we had a birthday party for Frisky?!? I’m pretty sure I still have pictures from that… Ohhh goodness haha. Good times!